The Happiness Boomerang

A few years ago, a friend who works with an organization that funds social entrepreneurs mentioned to me, "Whenever I talk to applicants, I ask them to describe their moment of obligation. I'm always interested to hear the answer."

"What's a 'moment of obligation'?" I asked. I'd never heard this term.

"It's the moment when you think, Hey, someone should really try to improve the distribution of vaccines, or teach schoolkids about art, and you realize, Hey, I'm the one who should do something. Me."

When I thought about opportunities to help with the donor registry, I felt that moment of obligation. His was my Calcutta. But I hesitated to throw myself into it. I was no expert in online marketing, state health policy, or organ donation; did I know enough to make suggestions? Shouldn't people with more expertise drive the process? I already felt overtaxed by my own work; did I have the time and energy to devote to the issue? Although I was trained as a lawyer, I so rarely drew on my legal background anymore; was it appropriate for me to venture an opinion about some of the legal matters that organ donation raised?

Well...true, I thought, I was no online marketing expert, but I used tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. I didn't know much about Web design, but I knew some things. I understood the basic legal issues related to the registry, and why change was so urgently needed. So I jumped in and offered my time to the cause.

It does make me happier to know that I'm doing whatever I can, with whatever capacities I possess, to promote the cause of organ donation. As I have seen through my own experience, we don't need to be able to donate huge amounts of time, money, or expertise to help the causes we support. When I made the effort to try to become involved, I found a way to make a contribution within the limits of my own abilities and circumstances. And that made me happier. In fact, I'll mention my cause to you right now: Learn how to sign the registry at donatelife.net/register-now.

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